Curragh for Command as Guineas favourite continues his progression
Published:Two-year-old sensation War Command will line up at the Curragh for the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes next month.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien has confirmed his charge is being prepared with the aforementioned race in mind.
This possible next assignment on August 11 will be highly anticipated as the racing world wait to see if he’ll follow-up his impressive display at this year’s Royal Ascot meeting.
And Ballydoyle’s impressive Coventry Stakes winner could secure a seventh renewal win in the last ten years and a 13th race victory in total for his trainer.
The manner in which he secured his six-length victory in Berkshire has made onlookers sit up and take notice.
Effectively his stable’s third string in the Coventry, his Group 2 success was perhaps somewhat unexpected.
But he’s now likely to take his chance in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas and given certain recent trends, he’s probably deserving of his favourites tag.
Winner of the Coventry Stakes in 2012, Dawn Approach went on to claim the Newmarket Classic this year.
Even more pertinently, O’Brien’s Henrythenavigator took the Group 2 Ascot crown six years ago before going on to achieve Guineas success.
The Irishman’s classy George Washington, the 2005 victor of the 6f Phoenix Stakes, also went on to score in East Anglia a year later.
With omens like these, it’s not difficult to see why many are predicting War Command can continue to shine.
His dam Wandering Star successfully negotiated the transition to distances of a mile or longer.
And while he’ll have to wait for the extra stamina test, O’Brien’s colt could reaffirm his pre-eminence at the Curragh later this summer.
Another convincing victory and the current price for a Guineas scalp could yet tumble further.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
